Girls? Oh Boy.


When I tell people I'm the mother of boys, I often get a similar response: "You're so lucky you don't have girls." People are emphatic about this - like, if I could see the words coming out of their mouths, they'd be in bold, caps-lock AND italics. It's almost the same tone people adopt when they say something like, "You could have been killed!" Once at a playground, I was chatting with another mom and she said the "you're so lucky" line ... and then went so far as to tack, "You'd hate it," onto the end in a desperate whisper. She sounded like it was a secret she'd been dying to spill to the right person.

I'd hate it? Really? Are girls that bad?

Admittedly, being the mom of three sons, I'm not as experienced in the art of raising a girl. But lest we forget, I myself was a little girl at one point, so I do have a teeny bit of insight. And aside from a handful of bad things, I honestly think I was pretty well-behaved. I don't ever remember being particularly mischevious or troublemaking. I was good at school. And I know I wasn't sassy, 'cause my mama would've slapped me into next week. I didn't do a lot of eye-rolling or door-slamming or back-talking.

I go through a lot as the mom of boys. I can't imagine girls smearing their poo all over the place or constantly pestering me to do science experiments that could get them blown up. I don't think girls "sprinkle" all over the toilet seat and the floor (and I only have one potty-trained so far, so I can only imagine what it's going to be like magnified by three) or request wedgies (yes, Colin actually does this). I'm fairly sure I wouldn't have to warn a girl that when she goes to school, she can't fart and then laugh about it. I've become accustomed to cleaning up squishy messes, finding food stuffed into weird places, and not having a heart attack when the boys climb onto - and then jump fearlessly off of - things that are far too high. And the thing is, my boys are still little. I can't even imagine what awaits me when they're sweating, stinking, eating-us-out-of-house-and-home teenagers. 

Apparently, though, my lack of female offspring is akin to a one-way ticket down Easy Street.

That's confusing in itself, but then people insist on confusing me even further. Despite all the "you're-so-lucky" hoopla, the question I get most often is: "Are you going to try for a girl?" Like I've failed three times, but maybe if I tried again, I might get it right.

Are you kidding? After hearing how much I'd despise it, and how difficult girls are?

I think if I ever get pregnant again, I'm hoping for another boy! Moms of girls, enlighten me: are they REALLY that bad?!




Comments

  1. I have both my son is 16 and my daughter is almost 4. judging the 1st almost 4 yrs of her life the boy was way easier... i'll let you know when she is a teen though.. I have my teenage issues with him.. he was the easiest kid till puberty..ugh... hopefully as she is pmsing since birth (obviously not really but boy is she witchy) hopefully she will be a good teenager? others have told me good luck with that

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  2. I love having a girl. But she's not even two yet so I suppose she hasn't really exhibited any "girl behavior" whatever that means. But still, I adore girls and would want another if I was gonna have more kids.

    That said, girls can get into just as much mischief, especially the climbing great heights bit if my own childhood is any indication.

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  3. I LOVE my daughter! I see moms of boys and they're running and punching and jumping, and while my daughter loves to do some of that, she's generally more timid and careful and I am so thankful. Being almost 2, she gives me enough to worry about without all the extra "roughness" that comes with boys. Plus, she's like my very own little doll. I get to dress her up and accessorize her. Of course, ask me again if girls are better than boys, when she's a makeup wearing, boy crazy teenager!

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  4. My daughter is five and I love having a girl. She can be moody and hormonal (yes, already) and sometimes dramatic and over the top, but she is also sweet and kind and loving very, very girly and likes to shop and wants to wear makeup (nope, not yet) and have her hair fixed. Having a girl is fun.

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  5. I have a girl and she is easy-peasy! I see mom's with boys and they look so energetic and rough 'n tumble. I'm very thankful for my cautious, easy-going girl. Who knows what other kind of children I'll have down the road though. I disagree with all the people who say girls are hard. I just dread the teenage years!!!

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  6. Well, I wouldn't say they're THAT bad. But EXTREMELY dramatical and sassy. My daughter was the SWEETEST and easiest baby ever birthed. But then she turned 18 months old and all hell broke loose. She is sassy, saucy, moody, CRAZY and DIFFICULT! But, I wouldn't trade her. She is just harder than my super happy, gets into everything little boy.

    But, if it makes you feel any better, my sister has five boys and one girl, and she says hands down, the boys were/ARE much easier. And my friend has SIX girls, ONE boy (I know, she's nuts) and she worships that one son, 'cause he's so much easier. haha

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  7. As the mother of three girls, I don't know why anyone would think they are "more difficult" than boys...but, then, I've never been a mother of boys, so there you are.

    I used to get the "Are you going to try for a boy?" question when my kids were younger--I guess people figure I'm over-the-hill now at age 39 and wouldn't even consider having kids. Confession: I never answered nicely. I figured that, if the person was rude enough to ask, then all bets were off and they got it from me. I'd say things like, "No, my goal is a healthy baby, not one particular sex over another" or "No, I'm not. Are you going to try for a lobotomy?" (I said that last one to a doctor.) I have a mean streak in me that gets out when certain buttons are pushed...that's one of them.

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  8. I have both - from what I understand boys are harder as children, but greater as teens. My girls were fabulous toddlers,calm and sweet but now that I have a 12 year old girl, its all DRAMA!
    The only thing I would worry about with all boys is the grocery bill, and losing them to the inlaws when they get married!

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  9. I have always felt blessed and lucky as I have one child of each gender. Both gave me joy and both gave me their fair share of troubles as well. I would say, in many ways Dallas was a bit easier growing up. BUT that also begs to question if it was because he was a boy, or because he is a very easy going person in general or he was the second child (smart) and learned by his sister's example what to do and not do. I don't know. It is so different - period.

    As adults though, I do believe boys and girls are different. Morgan is one of my best friends. I communicate with her daily and we enjoy each other's company. Dallas is very independent and we might not hear from him but a couple times a month when the theater season is busy. On the other hand, Dallas never seems to need us or need our help, and Morgan is more dependent on us, even now after being married.

    I am thankful I had both, but that was my me. Morgan wants a baseball team full of boys and my niece wants a girl with all her heart (she is waiting to find out the sex of baby #5 - after 4 boys). In the end, we all fall in love with what we have and that makes family special.

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  10. The hardest part about having a girl (mine's 5) is seeing older girls: what their wearing, how their acting, etc. It sends my heart into an anxiety attack just thinking about what is to come. And I think I what I put my parents through and I just want to send her to a convent until she is at least 25.

    Now. I know I don't have a boy but I think every kid is different. Some people have two kids (or more) and each kid is completely their own person boy or girl.

    I could ramble more, but i don't know if it would make sense.

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  11. I have a boy and I hear all the time how lucky I am not to have a girl. It's crazy.

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  12. I managed to get 1 son and 2 daughters to adulthood. "Boys are easier" is an urban myth. Boys. are. harder.

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  13. I have three boys and one girl. Their ages are this, one 5 yr old boy, two 3 yr old boys and one 3 yr old girl. It has so far been my experience that even though boys are much, much, much messier than my girl, I have spent much more time dealing with her. The mouth on that child is surprising and the independence is a force to behold.

    But that being said, I like that I have a mix and I am thankful, that our mix only has one girl.

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  14. I've got one boy and two girls, and although they both come with their own challenges, I'd say the field's pretty even. It just depends on the day...

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  15. Girrrl, let me tell you. We have 6 boys and only 1 girl, and she's 13...and 3rd in line age wise. I could "parent" all my boy's blindfolded, but girl child refuses to conform. All I have to say to my boy's is "mommie is disapointed in you" and they will stop whatever horrible thing they are doing (usually something with the toliet, and hot wheel cars)..But Girl child is a minnie me, and knows what to say to really get my goose..There is alot of eye rollin', door slammin' "you don't understand" from her...which then prompts me to pop a vein in my neck...I love my girl, but GOD knew what he was doing when he only gave me 1 girl....But, her room smells MUCH better than any of my boys rooms...so there you go.

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  16. Interesting! I feel so lucky to have a daughter (sandwiched between two boys) even though she's by far the most moody, tempermental, stubborn and sassy of my kids! I really think it's the individual child more than the gender that makes each of them so different. Even though she's challenging, she's also amazing!

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  17. HAHA...I get that all the time too! I also have 3 little boys, and the moms with girls tell me how lucky I'll be in 10 years! Really? Because right now I would kill for a sit-on-the-floor-quietly-playing-with-dolly girl!

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  18. I love my girl she isn't too bad gets into the same trouble I did as a child and I watch boys all the time, I think if you like doing it anything can seem fun or funny. My girl used to ask for wedgies and laughs after she farts and burps and wants to be a princess when she grows up. I think they are all orginals. All the poop you talk about though I would probably cry but they probly haven't made their parts talk to you like my daughter did to me in the bath a few times. Talk about stiffling laughter and explaing private parts.

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  19. Well, my two cents is that my boy was hard as hell for the first 4 years - no self entertaining himself with dolls and stuffed animals and tea parties. He needed constant entertainment. And then he turned easy as pie. He's now a teen who is easy going, mild tempered, good mannered, with a healthy right/wrong conscience. And because I have vivid memories of myself (a girl, obviously) as a teenager, I know I've got it good!!!

    Ally

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  20. I have 2 girls and one on the way, and my girlfriend has 2 boys with one on the way. I think every kid has their own personality and that neither gender is 'better' than the other. My oldest is very timid and was such an easy baby. She is 3 1/2 now and is a little sassy but not too bad. My second is the death of me. She is into everything and has gone to the ER a few times and is just a handful. My girlfriends boys are the opposite: her oldest is the crazy one and her 2nd is more timid.

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  21. I think it comes down to personality. My boy requires way more attention and is moodier and more sensitive then his sister. Although is is starting to have some good temper tantrums :P Somedays the girl is easier and some days the boy is easier. FYI, my girl is 2 and boy is 4.

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  22. I don't have kids but a close co-worker of mine has a 5 year old girl and a 14 year old boy. I'm not sure what her boy was like growing up but he's super mature for his age, which I think is rare - she's a single mom so I think he didn't have much of a choice about growing up a little quicker and helping her out with his little sis. But as each year passes they definitely have been getting into their share of arguments. Eating her out of house and home is an understatement. And forget about a boy get-together or sleep over...might as well take out a small loan for Doritos and pizza. Her girl, OMG, a lot of what the others have said, sassy, princess, dramatic all rolled into one. At 4 and 5 she already has the mind-set of a tween. Claiming she needs a "new" outfit for this or that. Mom doesn't spend a dime on herself so I don't know where the little gets it from. Although she claims she feels she has a much more special bond with her daughter than with her son.

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  23. As you know I've raised a bunch of both sexes, and I truly don't think one is any more difficult than the other. They just have different types of issues. I never had a mouthy kid because - well, you said it yourself - I'd have slapped them into next week. ;o) I feel very blessed to have seven strong, unique adult children now......and still have at least part of my sanity left! :o) I say enjoy and appreciate your kids, whatever sex or age they are!

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  24. I have 2 girls (7 & 9) and a 2 yr old little boy. My little boy does all the things you read about, but I never experienced with my girls...eating EVERYTHING (bugs included), playing with power cords, wouldn't sleep by himself for the first YEAR, and I could go on and on. However, he is the sweetest, most loving child on earth! My girls are loving too, but not like my baby boy. And girls have DRAMA, lots of drama - and I swear, my 9 year old is already hormonal. Soooo, I love my children equally and dearly, but there are definitely differences. You know "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus"!

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  25. I have a boy (23) and a girl(25). My son is easy going, a bit of a dreamer and so happy all the time. My daughter is very deep and much more complex. Both bring there own set of challenges. Daughters definitely are more dramatic..there is no doubt.

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  26. I'm a mom of three girls, but was the oldest of 7(5 boys, just me and my sister), so I helped raise them as well.

    I don't think one is more difficult than the other, I think girls get a bad rap because of PMS, puberty, etc etc... My girls are still little(4,3,and7months) and I have cleaned up my fair share of poop(yuck!) smeared all over them, the bed, the floor, and the walls. Mine also climb up on and jump off of things that are simply way too high, but...they're fine!

    I'll admit I'm not looking forward to puberty, drama, or any of that, but boys go through their mood swings and drama as well, it's just different.

    Oh yeah...my oldest two still fart, announce it to the world,and laugh about it.

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  27. I have never heard anyone say anything negative about having girls, although I have girls as do most of the people I know with kids so maybe people figure we're already screwed. I think my girls are just delightful, as I think my son is. Girls and boys are definitely different, and personally I think it is nice having both because i get to experience all of those differences. My daughter likes to leap off high things just as much as her brother, although she is more manipulative and WAY bossier than he could ever be.

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  28. I'll tell you what three little boys in the bathroom is going to equal...."IT SMELLS LIKE PISS IN HERE!" :) I love my daughter so much! but I was under the mistaken impression that she was going to be a sweet and well behaved little child. She is only one and a half but I am surprised every day at how much more trouble she gets in than my boys did. I don't remember either of them climbing on top of the table everytime I turned around or screaming just to get their way. It all depends on the girl/kid. It always works that way!

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  29. I have been blessed with 3 boys aswell and understand the smearing of poo farting and the good ol "red eye" But we also went and had a girl...shes 2 now and LORD HELP ME! Idk if its just the fact that I don't remember or if she is really really that big of a pain. She is a mess on wheels and will toss a shoe at my head if its the wrong color!! My boys never did that. Right now she has taken off her diaper and has put on her best shoes...great look...and I know i'm in for a fight trying to get a diaper back on...shed rather pee in her shoes.

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  30. Who are you kidding, if you had a girl I'm sure you'd teach her how to blow snot rockets with the best of 'em! LOL My mom said my brother's were easier to raise then us, guess it's because we are more hormonal - I don't know?

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